Just today, I shot some images from one of the two back rooms where the actual work gets done. Those images are uploaded and live here.

Now - on the subject of porn. Who among us does not appreciate good looks, fine design, and tasteful photography? For the two reading who don't, please leave. Otherwise, I would like to point the rest of you to a sub forum of a message board where the best and the brightest from amongst the framebuilding trade routinely opine and share their resources and experience. The best part about this online community is that every Friday the participants paste in an example of what is being currently worked on (or over). Pals and peers like Dave Kirk, Curt Goodrich, Carl Strong, Steve Garro, and Darrell McColluch regularly post alongside other industry cats like Engin Cycles, Mickey from Spooky Bikes, Conor from Vendetta, and many others too numerous to mention in a single email. Please check out the following link, look through all of the recent Friday Night Pics threads, and enjoy the porn.

If you have time and are so inclined, please also surf around the entire board. The home room for all of this iis a place called Velocipede Salon. I have spent time on a few message boards over the years, and atmo the V place is the best community on the net. The combination of framebuilders, industry mavens, current and former bicycle racing luminaries, along with many consumers, bike messengers, advocates, and professional from many backgrounds makes for the most interesting discussions and debates going.

Now, about the book. I hinted at this a week or three ago, but now will formalize it. A book from Images Publishing called Custom Bicycles: A Passionate Pursuit is now available. The subject is the handmade bicycle and the craftmen involved in producing them. The list of cats who are exposed in this wonderful book numbers near fourty. Christine Elliot and David Jablonka interviewed a wide cross section of commercial framebuilders who attended the 2008 North American Handmade Bicycle Show and followed up with questionnaires and requests for studio photography, and produced a lovely, large format (it's 240 pages, with most framebuilder getting 3-4 per brand. Can you say OUCH!), book that will ooze of information, factoids, excellent graphics, and mouth watering bicycles.

My last bit of information to pass along regards Columbus tubing, specifically the Spirit For Lugs (SFL) steel set that was hardly a blank sheet of paper only 5 short years ago. I am proud to have collaborated with Dario Pegoretti to help conjure up a specific design for every tube on the bicycle frame, such that using them as a set, and joining them by hands, using lugs, would allow those (of us) who remain steadfast that steel, along with the handbuilding process that many are trained in - and have spent generations perfecting - could continue to practice our art without the unwarranted stigma that our material of choice was from a bygone era. Despite that being far from the truth, the perception is that nonferrous materials are the stuff of legend, and that steel frames went out with film cameras and floppy discs. The SFL set (which I light- heartedly refer to as PegoRichie) allows all framebuilders to make a light, strong, completely dependable frame that has all of the salient features that have long since been associated with steel, yet with the metallurgy and tube guages that allow it to rival its CF and Alu counterparts in terms of weight, while surpassing them all in the durability department. The best of all worlds atmo. As I mentioned over the past few weeks, a recent goal of mine was to approach being Ground Zero for the SFL tubing in the US and I have been working hard with the folk at Columbus to make it happen. Yesterday, I had a wonderful visit from Mauro Mondonico from Gruppo (the parent company of Columbus) and we worked out many of the details needed to get all of the distribution started. I have been using this PegoRichie tubing on every frame here since 2005 and am committed to getting the material into the hands of as many US framebuilders as possible. I'll update this in the next few weeks.

Several things to update. First off, I was pointed to a book by a client who insisted he saw a pic of the Richard Sachs PistaSawa from the recent NAHBS in it, but could never recall the title. After several exchanges, it became obvious that it was a publisher in Italy with whom I exchanged emails a year or so earlier. He sent questions. I answered them. He wanted print quality pics. Jeff Weir emailed them the art files. My contact there later sent me an update after the images arrived noting that he was leaving the company but "forgotten name goes here ________ " would take over the project. That's the last I heard. Atmo a year has gone by, at least.

So after my client reminded me of all this through his sighting, he found the title and I ordered the book through Amazon. Two weeks went by as I waited for a seller in the UK to mail me a copy, and that sucker arrived today. It's nearly 300 pages of the highest quality content, paper stock and photography.

Check this link to read about it: The Bicycle: The Myth and The Passion

As noted, I forgot about the project and all the communications that occurred in what I recall now as late 2007/early 2008, but the good news is that I am beyond proud as a peacock for the spread they allotted my bicycle and accompanying text. Here is a link to a picture I took of the two pages.

I pasted in the oversize image so that the text is readable. If your monitor is melting, click on the "LARGE" icon at the top where "AVAILABLE SIZES" is noted.

Other news is that Brian Palmer of The Washing Machine Post has pasted in a fairly long interview I did with him. It's long read (near to 2,950 words) but has some good legs atmo. I hope you enjoy it.

Speaking of enjoyment, the long awaited mother lode of images of my 2009 bicycles are finally back and linked on two dedicated Flickr galleries. Pal Jeff Weir shot many great angles of the bicycles I took to NAHBS this past winter. Except for the side view pictures of each of the complete units, the focus this year was as much on the components as it was on the frame details. I uploaded some large size jpgs but if anyone needs an image or three in a tif file thingy, contact me directly. The tifs are big enough to print billboards atmo.

• 'Cross
• Road

The reception to the last week's news about my involvement with Oval Concepts and Columbus tubing has been very good. I have an extensive stock of R701 classic shaped 'bars and R700 forged stems, as well as lots of Spirit For Lugs tube sets. Please let me know if you need any follow up information.

It's been a long time since I did a What's New page update to my site, so consider this email-to-all a temporary replacement. Much has happened since I last broadcasted the goings-on here at Richard Sachs Cycles. Here is a laundry list of where things are now. In no particular order of importance...

Photography

In recent weeks I have made several trips to the studio of Jeff Weir in Greenwich to have all of the 2009 NAHBS show bicycles photographed. In a short time, all of the files will be available to press, media, and team sponsors. If you are reading and need an image or three for print or web use, please let me know and I'll get the files to you. Otherwise, our plan is to cull the lot and paste the best of the best on my website, replacing ALL current images with fresh shots. For the moment, there are two click through pages that contain the mother lode of pictures. Have a look:

Richard Sachs Signature Road '09 | Richard Sachs Cyclocross '09

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Blog

After what was nearly a two year lapse of attention I have renewed my interest in my blog. Well it's not really a blog. I have a site devoted to message board posts, opinions, and a few rare instances where I see a quote, or picture, or have a random thought - and I paste these all in the blog. I have been online since 1999 and when I realized that I was a typing, opinionated fool, I decided to search archives and all old sent mail for the chestnuts I wanted cached forever. Several years ago I pasted the lot of it into MS Word just to get a count, and at that point the total exceeded 50,000 words! There's some good stuff, some of it personal, and most of it bicycle related. I recently pasted in another twenty entries. Have a look: Arrange Disorder

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Four New Products

1. I have recently added several new items for sale. In conjunction with Bailey Works in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, we now have ATMO duffel bags and messenger bags in stock. Please visit http://baileyworks.com/ and read about this great supplier. The ATMO duffel bag is now the official luggage of the RS 'Cross Team while the messenger bag has become the manbag of choice for me as well as the discerning many who, by accessorizing, will get more tail than Sinatra. Okay - sorry, I promised to keep this email serious. End of levity.**


2. As a long devotee of what are now called "classic shaped handlebars" (read: I am the anti-Christ of the anatomic shapes that crept into the mainstream during the 1990s), I have screamed long and hard at the industry to not let this shape die. Several years ago, Morgan Nicol at Oval Concepts heard my voice and decided to make a difference. This season is the fourth year that I have happily used and supplied Oval Concepts R701 handlebars on my bicycles. Oval Concepts has agreed to allow me to import and distribute these handlebars (and accompanying R700 forged stems) to the US market. While OC has other agents who regularly handle the complete line of their components, no one has focused on the handlebar (shape) in question. I now have the R701 classic 'bars in stock in widths 40cm, 42cm, and 44cm, and in 135mm and 144mm drops, as well as in 26.0 and 31.8 diameters. Please let me know if you need some (and puleeeeeze - tell your pals).**


3. In 2004, I had a JRA (just riding along...) in Italy that resulted in a personal Jesus moment. My fairly new RS road frame had mysteriously split at the upper end of the seat tube. Ultimately, his particular incident became a catalyst for a new product that all of us desperately needed. In conjunction with Columbus, the Italian tubing supplier, Dario Pegoretti and I set out to design a new set of materials that folks (like us, who make frames by hand, with lugs) could use. Atmo the industry had long since forsaken steel as the go-to material, and many framebuilders were using tubes and pipes and shapes all through the 1990s that had remained unchanged for generations. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. What we really needed was a white sheet of paper, some great ideas from the actual guys who make the frames, and some forward thinking. By 2006, Spirit For Lugs became a reality. Framebuilders finally (or, again) once had a vendor in their corner. SFL allows us to make frames our way, with material that borrows from 21st Century technology, and we can make strong, lightweight bicycles that are every bit as cutting edge as so much of the stuff now served up as "New and Improved" by the mass makers. After nearly three years of importing SFL for my own business and use, by mutual consent with Columbus, I am now able to supply the sets to other framebuilders across North America. If you are a framebuilder reading this and want to know more, please drop me a line. I know the tubing intimately, being its co-inventor, and believe its use firmly cements steels place as the material of choice for the best bicycles available.


4. In case you missed this during the late winter months, RS 'Cross Team sponsor RGM Watches has introduced a limited edition time piece based on their Model 252 North Pointer GMT Automatic watch. Here are some links that describe this beautiful item:
   
   Arrange Disorder | RGM Watchs North Pointer GMT | RGM Watches Richard Sachs Edition

** View and order the ATMO duffel and messenger bags, and Oval Concepts Classic bars and stems: Sachs Toys

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RS 'Cross Team

Heck it's April and I haven't been on a road bicycle at all in 2009 because I still ride and train on my 'cross bicycle daily. The RS 'Cross Team had a successful run in 2008, and it was capped by Will Dugan's winning the Collegiate National Championships, having a great finish in the U23 event a day earlier, and subsequently making the National Team and representing the USA in Holland at the World Championships. All of the travails and anecdotes, picture links and all, are still in the team blog that lives at this address: Richard Sachs 'Cross Reference

While I haven't devoted too much time to what-and-who-goes-where for this coming season, I have been assured from all of the 2008 industry suppliers that they're back in for another season. Most of the sponsors are returning as well. The big question mark remains the roster and body count. If anyone within the sound of this email knows of any 'cross zealots who need a place to land for 2009, please let me know, or tell them to send a smoke signal to the Nutmeg state. We may have room for one-two most excellent racers should the fit be a good one.

==========

The Book

A new book from Images Publishing called 'Custom Bicycles: A Passionate Pursuit' will be a reality soon. Christine Elliott and David Jablonka are the authors. The couple spent the last several years researching the framebuilding trade and interviewing a cross section of it players. Nearly 40 craftsmen are written about and the stories are accompanied by great photography. To read more about the book an how to order, please visit: Custom Bicycles: A Passionate Pursuit and click though the links there.

http://homepage.mac.com/jeffweir/rs3/index.html

There are of course many dupes, and from this bounty we will choose the best of the best. Those images will be on my dotcom site before too long. Unlike other shoots that we have worked together on, the direction I wanted for this collection was that we focus primarily on the components, even at the expense of the frames and forks that I hang them on. Why? I want the sponsors who help the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team to know that I deeply appreciate their support, and having the 2009 parts front and center is one way to show that atmo. On Monday I will pick up these two road bicycles and the RS 'Cross Team bicycle in full 2009 livery will be in line for the shoot next week. I look forward to sharing another few dozen images of that bicycle with you as soon as possible.

Thank you all for your support and interest in what we do.

Please note that I will continue to accept new orders from current and previous Richard Sachs clients.

For more info, please see the FAQ.

The Desmond Horsfield DVD about me (e-RICHIE) called Imperfection Is Perfection was finally made available to all and there is a dedicated page about it as well as a blog that I set up to cull the various online reviews.

After a short draught, Selle San Marco Ti-railed Regal saddles in red are back in stock. Owing to the poor exchange rate, the prices for all saddles has recently been increased. See the SACHSTOYS page to view and order.

Another 40 sets of Columbus PegoRichie (a.k.a. Spirit for Lugs) is en route to me. This will make the fifth batch of pipes since the project began several years ago. These wonderful parts now come in two guages and three set lengths, and finally - the long awaited lighter chainstays will be in stock! Materials-wise, there's never been a better time to be a framebuilder atmo.

It was a good trip out and back to Portland for the 4th Annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show . As always, pal Don Walker did a fine job of producing a first class event. I look forward to NAHBS 5.0 in Indianapolis next year. Meanwhile, I mined a few dozen images off the intenet and created a Flickr gallery that shows the company booth as well as some details of the bicycles I brought to Oregon. Click here to see them. I also found a good piece on the show written by James Huang and it lives here (scroll down) on cyclingnews dot com. I'm happy to add the the film produced by Desmon Horsfield debuted to a pack crowd on the seminar day. The details still live here, and I promise that the DVD will be on sale on the SACHSTOYS page before too long.

On separate notes, please keep an eye on that SACHSTOYS page because in a very short time I will be adding a new Rene Singer graphic t shirt, some new designs to the RS musette collection (Rene Singer, PegoRichie, and ATMO ), and some most excellant RGM WATCHES - RICHARD SACHS 'cross team hooded sweatshirts.

My last update will be a long, long overdue thanks to client Jim Thompson. I first met Jim last year in San Jose at NAHBS 3.0 when he approached me so I could help ascertain the build history of his 1970s Richard Sachs. As the story goes, we were both pleasantly surprised to see that his was the 6th ever Richard Sachs branded frameset from circa 1976. Somewhere on my desktop there's a folder with some pics, and I will soon add a piece on Jim and that bicycle on my RIDERS page. But lo and behold, again I'm surfing cyclingnews dot com and Jim and that #6 bicycle are part of the site's Tour of California race tech coverage. There's also a YouTube video devoted to it. Way too cool atmo. Many thanks, Jim Thompson

I am excited to let you know that, in addition to displaying my bicycles, framebuilding parts, and softgoods, NAHBS will also be showing the premiere of a film on me and my business. For a brief description, please see the NABHS site. I shouldn't give away the farm, but I gots to tell ya', Des captured it all on celluloid, or Hi-Def whatever it's called. This film covers about everything I wanted to show and say, and it's professional from one end to the other atmo. I hope all who read this can attend NAHBS and take advantage of the time there to catch the film.

The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team's 2007 season ended just last week with a trip to Kansas City for the National Championships. I recently updated the 'cross blog. and the team Flickr site. Click here for the blog and here for the pic page.

And speaking of blogs, my self- absorbed opinionfest compilation has been left unattended for at least 6 months. Now that the road trips are done for a while, I plan to load a whole lotta entries to what I lightheartedly refer to as Richiepedia. By mid January I will be a cut and pasting fool. Click here and bookmark this blog. Not for the faint of heart atmo.

Yet another shipment from Columbus has just arrived. In addition to another 40 sets of Spirit-For-Lugs, a.k.a. PegoRichie tubing, Columbus has also supplied me with fifty sets pair of SL fork blades. To my knowledge, this marks the Italian firm's return to making these parts on a regular basis. With the advent of carbon fiber and forks coming from Forks-R-Us, it's been hard to get the goods needed to make forks the way they should be made: by the person making the frame. Thankfully, Columbus is back in the fray!

A new batch of t shirts is now available. The Nuovo Richie graphics now adorn 100% cotton shirts in sizes Small through XX Large. Here's a pic of pal Brian sporting his. Order on the SachsToys page.

For those of you that are interested in following the season long escapades of the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team, please visit and bookmark the blog I keep. It's updated several times a week.

I am starting my second year using the magnificent new Spirit-for-Lugs tubeset made by Columbus and dubbed (by me) PegoRichie. Just last week I received another 80 sets. I now have the lighter version and it is available in 2 distinct lengths making it frame size specific. These are great times for making the highest quality steel frames with lugs.

A new Richard Sachs lugset is nearly ready for public consumption. I designed these in the French Constructeur style and the working name for the project is Rene Singer, and photos are posted on Flickr.

Speaking of pictures, please note that I have migrated ALL of my 6000+ images over to Flickr. Here is the new link. Please bookmark it. The Yahoo Pics site is done!

I just received a new shipment of Oval Concepts Classic shaped handlebars. I have them in stock in 3 widths and 2 drop dimensions. These are not on my SachsToys page. Read the press release that describes these bars and my joy with them. If you are interested in these, please email me directly.

Additional photos. Note: I have stems as well.

I am trying to sell 2 Richard Sachs touring bicycles built in 1981. They are a matched pair and belong to a local couple who are retiring to Florida. The bicycles are being sold separately. For more information, please check out this message board thread on frameforum.net. If you are interested in either of these bicycles, please contact me directly.

I am collaborating with Neil at frameforum dot net and spending a few weeks loading my entire (complete) collection of The New Yorker magazines which have bicycles in the cover art in any way, shape, or form. Please see this link to see the story as it takes you to all the pertinent links.

We are finally getting around to adding to the Gallery page. There will be five new links there, all showing examples from my NAHBS collection this past March. Jeff Weir takes the best pictures - period.

I have been adding items to the Sachs Toys page. Recently, a new shipment of Selle San Marco Regal saddles in blue sits next to the ever-popular white and red versions. There are also 2 new T-shirt designs. Have a look when you're ready to shop for that perfect gift!

It's been nearly a year since the Columbus PegoRichie tubing has been available and it has become my material of choice. My first parcel of 70 sets from July 2006 is nearly used up and I am very excited that another 80 sets are en route. The great news is that these include a lighter version that is drawn in two distinct lengths, each targeted at frame sizes that are up to 54cm and again up to 59cm. This option allows me to better match the tube to the rider and the frame size!! These sets also include steel fork blades from Columbus, as they make a long awaited return to supplying this part for makers of traditional road bicycles.

It's been a while since I tended to my blog, but recently I have added at least 12 new entries, all long-winded of course!

My newest (and third) Richard Sachs lugset is finally available. Dubbed the Nuovo Richie series, I am extremely pleased with the quality of these little effers. They are well detailed, ornate-without-being-froufou, and austere, all at the same time!! Check the gallery to see the finished pieces as well as detailed shots of the handmade samples being made, and the really cool art that Chuck Schmidt designed for the frame decals. Read about the lugs on frameforum.net.

In the 2007 VeloNews Buyers Guide there is a great 8-page story entitled Men of Steel; One Connoisseur, Five Artisan Renditions. It follows Brett Horton's (he, of The Horton Collection) commissioning of five no-holds-barred bicycles to be made just for him. The article traces the history of the project, has a full page devoted to each framebuilder, and has some killer pics atmo. Read about Dario Pegoretti, Vanilla, Llewellyn, Ron Cooper, and me!!

The current issue of Bike Culture magazine has a wonderful article written by Laura Zuehlke about all things framebuilding. It's titled Mavericks of Steel.

Pal Trish from across the street has started a new biz and I think the website will be a killer and one to follow, atmo. Get in touch with your inner Coco or Karl without ever leaving the Barcolounger. Why? Because malls suck. Smashing, Darling!

Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, commonly known in the trade as BRAIN, has done some wonderful reports stemming from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show that was held last weekend in San Jose, including this article about my business.

For those of you who are unaware, messengers and singlespeeders have almost singlehandedly kept handmade-slash-artisan framebuilding alive these past few years with their keen interest in all things Japanese, particularly in keirin frames and NJS components. A website devoted to just this niche is keirin culture, which is currently featuring a story about my work.

Richard Sachs "Not-So-Little" Black Book

This is a 21 page compendium of Richard Sachs bicycles that were displayed at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in March 2006.

Thirty-seven images are printed on heavy coated stock, and encased in a hardbound jacket; a celebration of the craft, the bicycle framebuilders' show, and nearly 35 years of framebuilding by Richard Sachs, of Chester, Connecticut.

Photography by Jeffrey Weir, of Greenwich, Connecticut.

You can read more about this project at Frameforum.net, as part of their 2007 NAHBS preview, along with preview articles about David Kirk of Kirk Frameworks, Italian framebuilder Dario Pegoretti, and many more.

A new shipment of Selle San Marco Regal saddles has arrived. These were all manufactured in Italy earlier this month. The news is that in addition to the standard RS red model that I normally import, I have ordered several cases of white regals too. See the SACHSTOYS page for a picture and ordering details.

On March 2-4 I will be exhibiting at the 3rd annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show in San Jose, California. If you are interested in seeing the best framebuilders (and bicycle designers) showing their latest creations, you simply must attend.

The 2007 Richard Sachs Team clothing made by VergeSport is now in stock. For a look at the shortsleeve jersey design, click here or here. I will have the shortsleeve version available on the SachsToys page, but please note that I also stock some of the new designs in longsleeve jerseys (made from Wintertec material, and with a full front zipper), in windjackets (in Aquatec material), in thermal Winter jackets, and in bibshorts, socks, and winter training hats. Check the VergeSport website for more information on materials. Please email me for information about all these extra items because it's too tedious to list all the sizes and variations online. To see any of these items in action as used by the Richard Sachs 'Cross Team, click here.

I keep several blogs online, including the RGM Watches-Richard Sachs-Rex Chiu-Radix Group Cyclocross Team 2006 season journal, and another 47,000 words (and counting) about how feel about just about everything else.

I have a couple of pages that are relevant to all things framebuilding. If you want to read about how I define a custom frame. The page also links to many of my pals in the trade, along with another cool page about the many ways that frames can be and are made.

In order to maintain order on this site, I keep thousands of digital pics offsite on a Yahoo Pics! page, in dozens of different galleries that depict many eras of Richard Sachs racing teams, and images of several RS frames being built, and just general nonsense that comes with too much time with a camera!

The Richard Sachs Richie-issimo bottom bracket shell now enters its second year of use. Of all the castings that I have designed, it remains a favorite. Check out the gallery of the actual sample being fabricated at my bench.

The Richard Sachs headbadge project is finally done. After pondering it on and off for eons (and never one to be a headbadge fan...) I finally began dealing with this last year. My ieal was to create a stylized applique of the RS logo and have it be a stand-alone, rather than one which is cluttered by rivets and small screws from the marine hardware industry! Not being a stainless fan either, I wanted to avoid a shiny thing on the front of the bicycle as it would be so incongruous. I decided that what I really wanted was my decal art produced in 3-D, so I set out to create these at my workbench on a per order basis. After completing several and seeing them on finished frames, I knew it was the correct choice. Ultimately, I decided to have them machine made for better accuracy and repeatability. The finished headbadge looks incredible on a frame prior to paint. Check out the full gallery.

Due to personal reasons, I was unable to attend the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships in early December. In my absence, my teammates made a really cool video and surprise gifted it to me upon their return.

The long awaited switched to custom-designed tubes finally occured in late August. Dubbed PegoRichie — or, if you will, Spirit for Lugs — this set represents almost 12 months of collaboration between myself, Dario Pegoretti, and the good folks at Columbus. Read what I posted about it in the online framebuilders forum. If you have any questions regarding this set or the project, please ask.

Richard Sachs has been building handcrafted lugged-steel bicycles in Chester, Connecticut for over 30 years. He began began building cyclocross-specific frames in 1978.